What We Can Learn From The Last Recession

The high technology industry is perpetually in a state of reinvention.  Leaders and decision makers must be willing to embrace this environment in order to be successful.  However, now more than ever is the time to embrace the “change” mentality.

Why?  As decision makers assess ways to right-size their operations, technology, a cost center, is frequently near the top of the list for budget modification.  This spotlight on technology budgets creates pressure on vendors to make their products and services more effective.  Therefore, as opposed to simple cut-backs, savvy leaders and technology professionals demand investments in new processes and technologies to create the savings necessary, while increasing efficiency and performance.

Let’s frame this by looking at the recession of 2001.  Arguably THE most important information technology innovation that occurred during these years related to remote support and connectivity.  The outcome?  Technologies like Voice Over IP (VOIP) telephony substantially reduced the costs associated with calling, particularly overseas.  Remote connectivity software empowered IT support departments to resolve issues without leaving the desk, reducing overhead and resolution times to a fraction of what they previously had been.  These innovations spurred the wide scale adoption of the overseas call center, and although controversial, the result without a doubt achieves the objective of a reduced cost of operating and a sustained level of service to the consumer.

Ask a technology professional today what major innovation of the 2008-2009 recession will be remembered as the most important, and you will get a variety of answers.  Let’s take a brief look at two such innovations with great potential and what these can do for your business.

Cloud Computing - Cloud computing involves the migration of computer networks, into a centralized location, called a data center.  The investment in a centralized infrastructure allows businesses to acquire higher power, more reliable, and more redundant systems.  Also, outsourcing the network in its entirety to a third party presents a unique opportunity to normalize costs.

Sustainability - For most businesses, computers and the associated technologies that support them are one of the greatest consumers of power, along with lighting and HVAC systems.  Improvements in low power devices and power management systems enable business to cut power consumption substantially.  Don’t pay your own power bill?  Watch out – with the escalating cost of power and immanent potential for regulation, some landlords are renewing rental agreements net of power costs.

Even though we are technology consultants, ANALYSYS engages in an annual evaluation of how we employ technology for ourselves, and we look at how we can improve.  In 2009, we engaged in both the Cloud Computing and Sustainability initiatives and experienced tremendous success.  The result was a 50% reduction in internal IT support staff, allowing those personnel to be repurposed to technology consulting initiatives, and a 52% reduction in power consumption.

Seven Windows 7 Migration Tips

Do you have a Windows 7 question?  ANALYSYS is offering FREE SUPPORT via e-mail, now through January 31, 2010.  Send your questions to windows7@analysys.net.  Visit http://www.analysys.net/Windows7 for full details.

With New Year planning in full swing and an added glimmer of hope that the worst of the recession may be behind us, many companies are looking at smart investments in technology that offer a big, positive impact.  According to Gartner Research, Windows 7 deployments are poised to be one of these focal points for early 2010.

Why Windows 7?  It’s the perfect storm.  While Vista has been widely regarded as a failure in the marketplace and continues to lag in market share against XP, Microsoft has placed the aging Windows XP in a category of discontinued software which is no longer for sale, and no longer fully supported.  Windows 7 on the other hand has been accepted with enthusiasm by early adopters, with some IT departments even upgrading production machines to Win 7 Release Candidate prior to the October 22, 2009 full release of Windows 7.

Decision makers should take a serious look at a Windows 7 roll out now, rather than later.  Mike George, a team lead at ANALYSYS‘ call center in Baltimore, MD offers the following four reasons why an across the company standardization to Windows 7 is important:

Windows 7 is a cleaner, easier, faster, and better operating system.  It’s a long awaited, real improvement over its predecessors that often improves user efficiency in a meaningful way.

Windows 7 security improves on Vista’s approach.  More, and more effective tools empower IT admins to better secure their network and company data from intrusions of all forms – human and software driven.

Have you tried to load Windows XP on a new laptop recently, and realized you couldn’t?  Already, some new hardware is not designed to work with Windows XP, and as these replacements create a more complicated mix of Windows operating systems in the network, reliability suffers and support increases.

As mainstream software vendors take advantage of expanded features available only in Vista and 7, laggards sill on XP may find themselves stuck on older, out of support, versions of their business software.

Do you have a question?  ANALYSYS is offering free support via email to the public, now through January 31, 2010.  Just send an email to windows7@analysys.net.

Windows 7 Migration Tip 1 – Timing The Rollout… Don’t Rush The Prep Work!

Hearing that Windows 7 Mainstream Support ended in April, 2009 sounds like doom and gloom doesn’t it?  Let’s take a moment to briefly analyze what this actually means.  First, realize that Microsoft has historically taken a very generous approach to its product support life cycle.  For example, in 2007, Microsoft coordinated an Extended Support phase on all versions of Windows XP for an additional three years.

Support provided	Mainstream Support phase	Extended Support phase
Paid support (per-incident, per hour, and others)	X	X
Security update support	X	X
Non-security hotfix support	X	Requires extended hotfix agreement, purchased within 90 days of mainstream support ending.
No-charge incident support	X
Warranty claims	X
Design changes and feature requests	X
Product-specific information that is available by using the online Microsoft Knowledge Base	X	X
Product-specific information that is available by using the Support site at Microsoft Help and Support to find answers to technical questions	X	X

Reproduced from http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifepolicy

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Arguably the most important part of Microsoft’s support policy is security updates.  This means that fixes will continue through to 2014 for any flaws discovered in Windows XP that would make the operating system vulnerable to a hack, virus, or other similar undesirable.  So, a Windows 7 upgrade generally remains a proactive endeavor.

Invest the time to plan your migration effectively!  It will pay dividends, many-fold.  Know about the targets of your upgrade, the hardware, software, peripherals, support, warranty status, and other technical details you feel are relevant.  Understand the impacts to the user base.  Design a process that makes sense and answers your specific objectives – perhaps consisting of inventory, design, test, and implement phases.

Windows 7 Migration Tip 2 – In-Place vs. Replace Upgrade Planning

An important question to ask when planning a migration to Windows 7 is whether to upgrade the computer in-place or replace it.  Here are some thoughts regarding costs…

Hard Costs – Replacing the computer with a new one will absolve you from an upgrade, but not from moving user data and installing the software.  Expect the cost of a replacement tower to start somewhere around $600.  Upgrading the computer in-place may require a Windows 7 Upgrade purchase.  Check first to see whether you qualify for a free upgrade.  If not, retail upgrade costs range from about $120 for Windows 7 Home Premium, $200 for Windows 7 Professional, and $220 for Windows 7 Ultimate.  An important consideration is whether you want to take each station down, usually after hours, as you upgrade the computers.

Indirect Costs – We are mainly looking at the time required to complete an upgrade versus replacing the entire computer.  A replacement is often the fastest way to go, as it enables IT staff to prepare the replacement computer in a lab environment, and frequently minimizes down time for the end user.  This is also a great opportunity to target aging technology for retirement.

When considering an in-place upgrade, you have two additional alternatives.  First, you can upgrade the existing (outgoing) Operating System to Windows 7, or second, you can erase the existing operating system and reload from scratch.  The general consensus in the community is that computers with Vista will upgrade well in-place with minimal preparation.  Windows XP requires additional consideration and time, and is under most circumstances, a good candidate for a complete wipe and reload.

For smaller businesses, consider this simple approach.

1. Purchase new computers, preloaded with Windows 7, to replace all computers that are out of warranty or no longer perform at desired levels of functionality.
2. Identify recipients of the new computers.  These folks should also be comfortable with being first adopters within your organization.
3. Install software, applications, and transfer user data in a lab environment for recipients of these new computers.
4. Make the swap with these initial adopters and verify functionality.  Wait a week or two before continuing further.
5. Iron out any bugs that arise.
6. Use replaced computers from first adopters as replacement computers for others within the organization, leaving old (to be retired) computers as the last to be replaced.  Repeat the process until complete.

Windows 7 Migration Tip 3 – Verify That Your Software Is Compatible

Not all software will work automatically on Windows 7.  This is especially true for older applications.  Follow this three step process.

Collect – Inventory the software you use.  Indirectly, this is a great opportunity to standardize and clean house on software you no longer use.

Analyze - Research whether each application will run on Windows 7 and define a plan to accomplish your migration.

Test and Mitigate – Deploy a Windows 7 machine as a test.  Load all the software you need, and identify whether it works as expected.  Identify issues that arise and develop solutions.  Document these so that the tech staff that engages in deployment can proactively address.

Sounds a bit time consuming, doesn’t it?  Fortunately, Microsoft has made a utility that helps automate this process.  It’s called the Microsoft Application Compatibiltiy Toolkit (ACT).  With ACT you can identify software that will survive an upgrade, test and track the compatibility status, and centralize answers to common problems you find.

Windows 7 Migration Tip 4 – Verify That Your Hardware Is Compatible

Not all hardware works with Windows 7.  Check your systems against Microsoft’s minimum system requirements:

• 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
• 1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
• 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
• DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

Full details on Microsoft’s System Requirements for Windows 7 can be found at http://windows.microsoft.com/systemrequirements

Tom Nieto, Director of Strategic Consulting Services at ANALYSYS advises, “the minimum system requirements for Windows 7 are essentially the same as Vista.  Considering the two-year gap in release between Vista and 7, that’s great news for businesses with newer computers.”  Be prepared, however, for systems that don’t meet the requirements.  These simply won’t work.

Nieto also advises that sometimes, even though the system meets the core performance requirements, other surprises can await.  ”We frequently find, for example, that a video card seems to support the 128MB memory requirement for the Aero interface, however the manufacturer has retired their support for drivers and software for that device.  Typically it means a new video card is in order.”  Aero is a 3D interface included with Windows 7, and is the default theme if resources are available.

Larger organizations should consider using the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit to determine which systems in the installed base are compliant for Windows 7.  This tool assists by automatically inventorying hardware assets, analyzing compatibility, and providing a consolidated report.

Smaller businesses can simply run Microsoft’s Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor.  This is single use utility that helps users determine whether their PC is ready for Windows 7.

Windows 7 Migration Tip 5 – Automate The Installation Process

Do you have a large amount of systems to upgrade?  The Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) is an application, loaded on a server in your network, that can help to automate the migration process to Windows 7.  MDT permits network administrators to deploy upgrades of Microsoft Windows through the network.

There is no commonly accepted best practice on the size threshold or nature of the environment where MDT makes sense over IT staff manually upgrading system-by-system.  Automated tools such as MDT work best when the network is standardized and system-by-system upgrades are not practical because of the numbers.

If you choose to use MDT, consider these two approaches:

1. Zero-touch – Requires Microsoft’s System Center Configuration Manager and can be completely automated through the use of scheduling tools.  Zero-touch does not support in-place upgrades, only operating system refreshes, or system replacements.
2. Lite-touch - Allows you to deploy Windows 7 without System Center Configuration Manager.  Windows 7 deployments can be centrally administered but must be initiated manually.  Upgrades are allowed using lite-touch, as well as refreshes, or operating system replacements.

Windows 7 Migration Tip 6 – Back Up Your Data

Especially with in-place upgrades on highly configured systems, or for users with a low tolerance for downtime, backing up the data on the workstation is a sensible move.  This extra step adds time but gives deployment technicians an eject button in the event that the upgrade fails.  When backing data up, Gabe McCourt, an ANALYSYS team member since 2005 suggests, “any backup for this purpose needs to be fast and simple”.  He offers two methods network admins can employ – either image the entire disk or simply copy data that’s identified as important.

• Disk Imaging tools like Acronis True Image cost about $50 per desktop and quickly back data up to an external device such as a USB Hard Drive, or through a network to a storage server.  If you need to step back to the previous operating system, simply reverse the imaging process, and you’re done!
• A Simple file copy is a zero-cost, low tech, but slightly more time consuming approach to backing up data.  Instead of capturing the entire operating system, necessary data is captured  in the event of a failure during upgrade or replacement that results in data loss.  This may also be a good opportunity to legitimize the centralization of important data to a server that is backed up regularly.

Windows 7 Migration Tip 7 – Choose The Right Version

Not all versions of Windows are created alike.  There are six editions of Windows 7 available, each with varying degrees of functionality.  Additionally, Windows 7 can be acquired in three ways:

Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) License – These licenses are generally the least expensive way of acquiring Microsoft Windows Licenses.  OEM licenses are sold only with a new computer, and the license is generally not transferable from the computer it was sold with.  In most cases, OEM licenses do not grant downgrade rights, so if you receive a computer pre-installed with Windows 7, you most likely are not able to wipe and reload with an older version of Windows without a corresponding purchase.

Volume Licensing – Businesses that require at least five licenses can acquire the rights to use Windows 7 from an authorized Microsoft reseller.  Volume Licenses do not include a box, paper certificates, or disks.  You download your software and license keys online.  This is generally the least expensive way to acquire licenses outside of the OEM license program.  Downgrade rights are usually granted with Volume licensing.

Retail License – These licenses, also sometimes known as Full Package Product (FPP) are the easiest to acquire.  You receive a box with your disk, a license certificate, and a copy of your license agreement.  Retail licenses, are usually the most expensive manner of acquiring licenses and do not include downgrade rights.

The following chart is excerpted from Wikipedia, and is a very comprehensive analysis of the versions available in the marketplace.  You may also want to check out Microsoft’s take on their editions of Windows 7.

Features / Availability	Starter	Home Basic	Home Premium	Professional	Enterprise	Ultimate
	OEM licensing	Retail and OEM licensing in Emerging markets	Retail and OEM licensing	Retail, OEM and Volume licensing	Volume licensing	Retail and OEM licensing
Full Package Retail Pricing	Not available in retail	Not available in Developed markets	US$199.99	US$299.99	Not available in retail	US$319.99
Maximum physical memory (64-bit mode)	N/A	8 GB	16 GB	192 GB	192 GB	192 GB
32-bit and 64-bit versions	32-bit only	Both (64-bit disc not included)	Both	Both	Both	Both
Maximum physical CPUs supported	1	1	1	2	2	2
Backup and Restore Center	Cannot back up to network	Cannot back up to network	Cannot back up to network	Yes	Yes	Yes
Remote Desktop (Client and Host)	Client only	Client only	Client only	Yes	Yes	Yes
Home Group (create and join)	Join only	Join only	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Multiple monitors	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Fast user switching	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Desktop Wallpaper Changeable	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Desktop Window Manager	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Windows Mobility Center	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Windows Aero	No	Partial	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Multi-Touch	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Premium Games Included	No	No	Yes	Disabled by default	Disabled by default	Yes
Windows Media Center	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Windows Media Player Remote Media Experience	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Dynamic Disks	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Encrypting File System	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Location Aware Printing	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Presentation Mode	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Group Policy	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Offline Files and Folder redirection	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Windows Server domain joining	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Windows XP Mode	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Software Restriction Policies	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Aero glass remoting	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Windows Media Player multimedia redirection	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Audio recording over Terminal Services	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Multi-display Terminal Services	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Enterprise Search Scopes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Federated Search	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
AppLocker	No	No	No	Create Policies, But Cannot Enforce	Create and Enforce Polices	Create and Enforce Polices
BitLocker Drive Encryption	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
BranchCache Distributed Cache	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
DirectAccess	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Subsystem for Unix-based Applications	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Multilingual User Interface Pack	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Enhancements	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Virtual Hard Disk Booting	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes

at Gartner Research

In closing…

Hopefully we have demystified the process of completing a Windows 7 Upgrade.  Do you need help?  We’d be delighted to assist!  Now, through January 31, 2010, we are offering free support via email to the general public.  Email your questions to windows7@analysys.net.  Good luck, and enjoy your Windows 7 computing experience!

Ten Easy Ways To Speed Up Your Computer

Have you ever noticed that computers seem to become slower all by themselves?  No, you’re not alone, and it’s not just you.

“My computer is running too slowly” is one of the most common issues we see at ANALYSYS.  Although there are many reasons why this could be happening, most performance related issues are quickly and easily resolved with a few simple steps.  So, don’t replace that computer… Let’s tune it up!

Curious to know where all these ideas came from?  We interviewed ANALYSYS team members for their top picks.  Some are certainly more controversial than others, but any combination will certainly help, and some may even surprise you.

1. Install Google’s Chrome browser.
It’s free, it’s functional, and we find that it operates much faster than Internet Explorer.  Keep in mind, however, that certain websites still require you to use IE, so be prepared to switch between browsers from time to time.  Also, be prepared… Chrome certainly takes some getting used to.  It’s a slightly different browser than Internet Explorer.  If you are not comfortable with the interface or don’t want to make the switch, consider Firefox or Opera as alternatives.  Here’s where you can find these great web browsers:

Link to Google Chrome
Link to Firefox
Link to Opera

2. Run Disk Defragmenter.
Disk defragmentation utilities have existed for many, many years in one form or another.  Although running these utilities are just as important now as they were in years past, their use has unfortunately become much less common and much less frequent.

First, let’s describe the importance of this utility.  Data is stored on a computer’s disk drive in a linear fashion.  As new files are created and deleted free space, or gaps, appear which are then later filled in with new data.  Eventually this process creates a jumble that your computer must sort through in order to access the data you need.  Disk Defragmenter is a utility that comes preinstalled with Windows that reorganizes fragmented files and folders so that data is stored neatly, and can be accessed much more efficiently.  Microsoft’s recommended best practice is to run this utility once per month.  This can best be done using the scheduler feature which can be found in the control panel.  Consider running disk defragmenter also when you add or delete and have normally large amount of data, you upgrade to a new version of Windows, or you are running with less than 15% free disk space.

Microsoft Windows Disk Defragmenter

3. Remove that wallpaper and replace it.
As much as the picture of the kids looks great on your desktop, if it’s a large picture file, it can actually slow down your computer substantially.  Consider keeping the file size of your wallpaper under about 200 kilobytes, or simply switch to a flat single color background.  Changing these settings can be found by right clicking on an area of the background of your desktop.  Then click Personalize, then Desktop Background.

What the Desktop Backgound screen looks like.

4. Upgrade your random access memory (RAM).
If your computer is less than a year old, simply add more.  If your computer is older, you may want to research whether the RAM you have in there now has been superseded by faster technology.  A generous amount of RAM is one of the most important elements in overall performance, and also happens to be one of the easiest ways to make a big impact.  Best of all, the cost of RAM is negligible.  Need to know what type of RAM is best for you?  The ANALYSYS Online Store has a memory sizing tool you can use to find the part numbers you need for your specific computer type, make, and model.

ANALYSYS Online Store – Memory Sizing Configurator

Although it is an easy upgrade with a little research, you may find the prospect of working with the inside of your computer undesirable.  If this is the case, Vista and Windows 7 users can consider Windows ReadyBoost as an alternative.  ReadyBoost allows you to use a flash memory device such as a USB flash drive without having to add the additional memory inside the computer.  The drawback-memory added with ready boost is not as fast as conventional RAM.

Learn more about ReadyBoost for Vista
Learn more about ReadyBoost for Windows 7

5. Clean up your hard drive.
Over time your system becomes crammed with software, files, and other data, some of which is not used.  Not only does this data take up space but in some cases it substantially impairs performance.  Consider the following:

• Manually clean up the data you don’t need.  Be sure not to delete programs or operating system data here.  You are looking for files and folders of things that you saved like videos, documents, or pictures that you simply don’t need anymore.
• Use Microsoft’s Disk Cleanup utility.  This tool quickly identifies otherwise hard-to-find data that you can safely remove, and then allows you the choice of what you would like to eliminate.  Disk Cleanup removes things such as temporary Internet files, data in the recycle bin, and downloaded programs that you don’t use or don’t need.  Find it in the Start menu under Accessories, then System Tools.
• Uninstall software you don’t use anymore by going to Add/Remove programs in the Windows Control Panel.  In addition to potentially freeing up a tremendous amount of space, this is generally the only way to safely remove installed programs from your computer.

6. Get rid of slick visual effects.
Newer versions of Windows offer a progressively appealing visual experience.  However all of the graphics and animation require additional processing power.  Especially if your computer is an older one, you may consider removing these effects as a way to increase performance.  Check these settings out…

For Vista Users
1. Click Start, Control Panel, System Maintenance, and finally Performance Information and Tools.
2. Click Adust Visual Effects.  Enter the password if prompted.
3. Click the Visual Effects tab and then select Adjust for best performance or simply choose your own settings from the list.

For Windows 7 Users
1. Click Start, and Control Panel.
2. In the search box, type Performance Information and Tools, and select Performance Information and Tools from the search results.
2. Click Adust Visual Effects.  Enter the password if prompted.
3. Click the Visual Effects tab and then select Adjust for best performance or simply choose your own settings from the list.

Gadgets and the Windows Vista Sidebar are another great example of these types of resource hogs.  To disable, right click on the sidebar and click Properties.  Uncheck the checkbox labelled Start Sidebar when Windows starts.  Click OK.  The sidebar will be gone on the next time you restart your computer.
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7. Scan for and protect against viruses and spyware.
Viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware, and other malware run in the computer’s background, largely undetectable while they sap resources for their nefarious purposes.  Fortunately Microsoft now offers a 1-2 punch that small office/home office folks can obtain completely for free.  Look for Security Essentials – that’s the virus client.  Microsoft’s spyware utility, called Windows Defender, is included automatically with Vista and Windows 7, and is available as a free download for Windows XP users.  For businesses that do not qualify for the free version of Microsoft Security Essentials, Microsoft’s business antivirus software is called Forefront.

Download Microsoft Security Essentials
Download Microsoft Windows Defender
Purchase Microsoft Forefront (36-month subscription, listed price is per month)

8. Shut off unneeded services at startup.
A surprising amount of software automatically loads every time you turn your computer on.  Pare down to just what you need with Microsoft’s System Configuration utility.  You can run this utility by typing msconfig in the Run box of your Start menu.

Microsoft System Configuration MSCONFIG Utility

9. Eliminate the comprehensive software firewall.
Programs like Symantec Norton 360 which include a virus scanner, spyware scanner, spam filter, firewall, and more certainly serve an important purpose.  However, analyze carefully whether these tools are redundant and disable features which are not necessary.  You can also consider replacing these tools entirely with a hardware-based solution, such as a SonicWALL TZ 100 series firewall.  This hardware alternative costs slightly more but the results will be increased speed and reliability.

10. Scan your hard disk for errors.
Windows comes with a utility called ScanDisk this utility corrects errors in your file system caused during the normal use of your computer.  It also can identify  a budding hard drive failure.  Vista and Windows 7 users can click on Start, then Computer.  Right click on the disk drive you want to check and click properties.  Go to the tools tab, and click Check Now, under Error-checking.

Microsoft Scandisk Utility